


A Kiss With A Fist Is Better Than None

by lukedancewithme



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Carnival AU, M/M, is that a thing?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:24:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4366469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lukedancewithme/pseuds/lukedancewithme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke puts on his big boy pants and ventures through a haunted house, all in the name of love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Kiss With A Fist Is Better Than None

**Author's Note:**

  * For [acousticirwin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/acousticirwin/gifts).



> prompt: you're an actor in a haunted house and I accidentally punched you in the face when you scared me

“But you hate haunted houses?” 

Calum’s question stops Luke midstep. He sputters around, nearly tripping over his lanky legs in a failed attempt to come off as nonchalant. “What? No. I love a good scare.” Luke can feel his face heat up under his friends’ gazes. Michael slowly shakes his head, looking at Luke with a puzzled stare. 

“No….You’re such a pussy,” Michael rolls his eyes, “that you’re in University and can’t even go into a haunted house without practically pissing yourself.” Luke flings a hand across his chest incredulously, “So why do you want to go into this one?” Calum suddenly lights up and Luke can feel himself deflate. 

“I know! You want to go in there because Ashton Irwin is working the haunted house this year!” 

“Shut up, that’s not it at all!” The truth is that’s totally the reason. Ashton Irwin is the sun in Luke’s sky; hot as all hell and impossibly far away. Ashton’s frat always volunteers to help run the local carnival which happens to debut close enough to Halloween for an over the top haunted house. This year Luke heard that Ashton is working the house on Thursday and Friday nights, which is why he’s here now. It’s all a bit middle school but considering Luke has no actual lectures with Ashton and really only admires him from across the school greens, this is like his one chance to actually start a conversation. Ashton does throw small smiles his way when they pass in the halls, but Luke refused to read too deep into it.

“Sure, right, it’s not that. If that’s the case, then you’ll be fine to go through on your own. Calum and I are gonna go ride the Scrambler. See you on the other side.” Michael pulls Calum with him as they head off to the carnival rides. Luke feels his stomach drop in a panic because, fuck, Michael was right and he hates haunted houses more than anything but he’s a 18 year old man for Christ’s sake, he can walk though one haunted house without crying. 

“Guys! Wait! Can’t you just walk through with me? It’ll be fun!” Luke pleas but it's no use, they’re already all the way past the cotton candy station. He’ll have to weather this storm alone. 

Luke invested on an authentic carnival ride band that fits stiff and papery around his wrist. But for a fair price he’s allowed to ride as many rides as he wants, no need for rationing tickets. The haunted house normally costs 3 tickets, but he flashes his neon bracelet and feels overly-accomplished as he walks past some younger teens fishing around their pockets desperately for tickets. 

Once inside the house, Luke feels that smugness disappear. It’s dark, and he’s sure there must be a fog machine somewhere because he can feel the mist thick in his lungs. There’s the stereotypical halloween music playing in the background, but as cliche as it is, it still sets Luke in a monster movie he’d rather not have a role in. God, he hates haunted houses so much. One of the worst parts is the mechanics that pop out of the walls, accompanied by an artificial flash of lightning. They manage to scare Luke every time, to the point where he’s on edge and has completely forgotten about trying to spot Ashton. 

The corridors are twisty and decorated with cobwebs. Being the lanky guy he is, he keeps having to bat the webs out of his hair and eyes. The smoke only seems to be growing thicker and it's getting harder to tell what’s a prop and what could actually be a real person. He’s horribly distracted by the incessant organ playing, along which dodging props and being blinded by the flashing lights. He wants out, desperately. It’s not just that he’s shaking from when that man dressed as a zombie lurched at him earlier, its that he’s been in here for about 4 minutes and doesn’t think he’ll ever make it out. What is this, a haunted house and a corn maze hybrid? He could cry, and he hates his friends. 

It’s like the feeling of despair and fear builds up in him until he feels it trembling through his body. He can feel his hands twitching into fists every time he hears a noise. He’s so tense it feels like one more fake bat flying at him and he’ll either piss his pants or start punching out props like its his job. He finally rounds a corner where he can see the dim light from out side. He sighs so heavily it feels like his bones have deflated. He starts walking toward the light, proud of himself for making it through the house alone; now he’ll have something to brag to Michael about. 

He’s almost there, the taste of fresh air and freedom on his tongue. And then someone’s jumping out at him, and it all happens so fast from there.

Someone dressed as a werewolf jumps out from the corner by the doorway making some wild growl noise just as Luke passes, so they're behind him. Luke, already wound up from the rest of the house cries out and spins around to face the threat. However, he doesn’t just turn around and see who’s behind him. No, he hurls a fist at them, hitting them on the underside of the jaw, and pushing their face up and away. It stings Luke’s knuckles, so he can’t imagine what the stranger’s face feels like. 

As soon as he processes that, shit, it isn’t a real werewolf about to eat his heart and, fuck, he totally did just sucker punch him for no reason, he apologizes what must be 50 times in the span of 30 seconds and leads them both out of the house to access damage. “I’m so sorry dude, like honestly I really, really did not mean to do that.” Luke feels like crying. How embarrassing, he’s an 18 year old man and here he is freaking out and throwing punches just because he’s a little sissy who gets insanely scared of haunted houses. The humiliation doesn’t just stop there though, because once their out of the dark house he can see who the werewolf really is. And it’s just his fucking luck isn’t it. 

“Oh fuck. Ashton, I’m so sorry. Jesus you must think I’m so lame. I just get really nervous about things jumping out at me, which I know is the point of a haunted house, but I really should’ve been more prepared for jump scares like that. I didn’t mean to hurt you, honest. Are you alright? Do you need ice? I can go try to find the first aid tent, if you’d like?” Ashton shakes his head, and clutches his jaw. 

“No, that’s alright. You just barely hit me, I’ll be fine. I’m sure it’ll bruise but it could be worse.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal and Luke could kiss him with how grateful he feels. “But what were you doing in a haunted house if you hate being scared like that? I mean they literally are designed to surprise and scare you.” 

Luke rubs the back of his neck awkwardly because this is not how he imagined his conversation with him going. He decides to be bold though, because it can’t get much worse than this. “I actually only went through it because I knew you were volunteering tonight.” Luke blushes. He knows his schoolboy crush can be seen loud and clear across his face. But he can’t bring himself to care. But Luke starts to think that maybe all those smiles in the hall and lingering glances do mean something. Especially when Ashton looks at him for a moment then gestures to his injured jaw, 

“Well the least you could do is kiss it better.”


End file.
